About a kilometer long, Amma Mandapam Road is technically outside the Temple complex, but it has many temples -- of all sizes, and for all deities. They range from those little structures in the middle of the road, to larger, well funded ones in complexes of their own. At one end of this road is 'Amma Mandapam' (which looks from the outside like a community hall), accounting for the road's name.
Amma Mandapam Road has nearly twenty wedding halls, and several shops that rent out shamianas and vessels for large functions. Clearly, weddings are a big business in this temple town. This road also has religious organizations such as ISKCON and the Sringery Mutt.
There is intense competition for space on walls along this road. In addition to the usual posters for movies, the walls feature political announcements. During my recent visit, the main opposition party, the DMK, was preparing for a massive rally in the nearby Trichy next month. Huge, hand painted notices were blaring out at party faithfuls to show up for the rally.
In a place that's teeming with wedding halls, can astrologers be far behind? Here's a 'numerologist', urging you to call a number to get the prognosis for your own self, for your child and for your business.
A surprising entrant into this battle for wall space is ICICI bank. Its posters, which are smaller in size but larger in number, hawk home and personal loans, and credit cards. If this bank is as aggressive in other small towns as it is in Srirangam, I need to consider buying some more shares!
We are near the other end of the road. At the junction of Amma Mandapam and Gandhi roads, Murali serves you a devine potion that lets you to experience bliss -- not in your next birth, but here and now! People throng his little shop every day for a religious experience. His shop doesn't have a name, but his potion does: coffee.
At the end of the road, of course, is the Rajagopuram (the Main Entrance Tower).
7 Comments:
People throng his little shop every day for a religious experience. His shop doesn't have a name, but his potion does: coffee.
If I am not mistaken, Murali and his uncle used to serve idlys/dosa etc abt 15 years back every evening in the same shop. (My uncle was then in Srirangam, in fact on Amma Mandapam Rd)
I have had some of best idlys and onion uthappams there. Chutney used to be very hot. For oil (served in small syringe bottles) and milagai podi, you had to pay extra... 50 paise, I think.
Abi, Did u get to see any one of the Srirangathu devadai-kal ;-))
Ramnath: Murali told me he has been in this business (of serving coffee and coffee only) for about 15 years now. It's entirely possible that he and his family were serving food as well. Man, the coffee there is truly sublime!
Sugan: Yes, I did see a lot of 'devathai's at Srirangam, except that I didn't dare take their pictures (in the interest of domestic harmony).
kuzhandaikku and kadaikku in the same breath :)
I like the way tamilians usurp foreign words and make it sound like their own - 'niyoomeralagy' for instance...
great series on Srirangam...
Charu: Among the posters, I was intrigued most by the ones for weddings and those for astrologers. They were all over the place! And yes, it is freaky to see kuzhandai (child) and kadai (business) in the same sentence...
Since this is the first time I did a post with photos, and since your own posts with photos were an inspiration, I am glad you liked it.
Wow, the Gopuram snap is very good. In all my visits to Srirangam, I haven't managed to get a snap like this.
Shruthi: Thanks for the compliment. I am glad you liked it.
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